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West Virginia Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin has announced a plan to expand Medicaid eligibility under the Affordable Care Act, extending coverage to 91,500 of the state's uninsured. As part of efforts to hold down costs, a managed care approach will be used for substance abuse and mental health care, and income-based copayments will be used for some patients.

The West Virginia Legislature has sent advance practice registered nurse scope-of-practice legislation to Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin. "APRNs do not want to leave West Virginia to practice at their full professional scope, particularly with the multitude of health problems the state faces," said West Virginia Nurses Association President Beth Baldwin.

West Virginia Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin signed a bill last week relaxing restrictions on the consumption of raw milk and the sharing of milk-producing animals under certain circumstances, although he expressed some concerns over the safety of raw milk. Some lawmakers and staff members who celebrated by drinking raw milk subsequently became ill, and the state is investigating.

West Virginia Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin visited an elementary school in Berkeley County on Wednesday to sign the Feed to Achieve Act into law. The goal is for the law to ensure that all students have access to free breakfasts and lunches at school throughout the year. Tomblin said schools that already have adopted such universal, free meal programs have seen improvements in student achievement.

West Virgina Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin, a Democrat, pulled updates to the state's enforcement of the sunshine disclosure law, with a spokesman for the governor saying the changes were needed to give the next director of the Governors Office of Health Enhancement and Lifestyle Planning more direct say in the law's implementation.